Abduction
by breakaway07
Summary: Melanie Patterson is a 17 year old girl from Earth, who is being held captive by the Sith Lords...it's up to the Jedi to save her AND the world where she belongs...
1. Prologue

_**This is just the beginning of a story...got bored and started writing...let me know what you think of it whether I should continue writing or not...**_

_**By the way, this story does not follow the Star Wars timeline at all...you'll see what I mean when the story progresses...this is only the prologue...**_

* * *

**ABDUCTION**

**Prologue**

I ran. I ran as fast as I possibly could because I had to get away from home. Let me tell you, it is rather hard to run in a park during a pitch-black night, in tears, with only the dim lights, which stood near the cycle path, to guide you. All I wanted was to get away. To make them feel sorry that they made me feel this way. I suddenly stumbled upon a fenced-off area. Then I remembered.

That morning in the city. The screams, the sound of shooting, the weird-looking robots with guns, it was all too strange. Even for this to be a prank, it was way off. Whoever was behind that had gone too far. A child had been kidnapped. And now _this_. A strange fenced off area. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided climb the fence. I truly wasn't trying to be a hero, but a kid was in danger, and I wanted to find out who was behind all this.

_Whoa! What the hell?!_ There was a massive black plane. Or was it a helicopter? Or a boat? I couldn't be sure. I managed to hide behind a large box. There were a whole lot of those strange robots I had seen this morning, invading the city. There must be an army of them. _Who's behind all this?_ I started to become angry about what was happening. This joke was not a funny one._ I can't find the kid. I have to get her and make a run for it._ I began to panic…I had to get the girl and get out as soon as I could._ Oh my god! Who the hell is THAT?!_ There's a cloaked figure talking to on of the strange robots. I can't hear what he's saying. Yes, I was pretty darn sure it's a man…or I may be wrong and it could be a _very_ masculine woman.

_There she is!_ Finally, I found the kid. Now we had to get out! She's all tied up, the poor bugger, and gagged. I put my finger to my lips before I quietly approach her.

"Quick! We have to get out! Don't make a sound!" I urgently whispered to her.

"Does this mean I'll get to see mama again?" The little girl looked up at me with her big, brown eyes. _So cute!_

"Yes, sweetie. Now come on!" I managed to rapidly untie her and we reached the fence. Before we climbed up, I glanced around my shoulder and noticed that alarmed yells were beginning to erupt. They knew she was missing. I crouched down and made the kid look at me.

"You listen to me," I quickly told her "whatever happens I want you to run like your life depended upon it, OK?"

"OK," she replied in a small voice. "But what about you?"

"Don't you worry about me, I'll be fine," I reassured her "Just keep running until you reach the road. Then go to the service station, and you can call your mum."

I lifted her up in my arms and gave her a boost over the fence. She gracefully landed on the other side when someone grabbed me from behind. The girl turned to look in shock.

"RUN FOR IT!" I hollered and she did as I said.

"DON'T LOOK BACK!" I managed to scream before a hand closed itself firmly upon my mouth.

"You will be of more use to me." A sinister male voice came from behind. Before my mind had a chance to respond, I was dragged in to a dream-less sleep.

* * *

Darth Maul looked down at the unconscious girl he held in his arms. She would be of more use to them than a child. He ordered the droids to let the child go. She was not longer of any use to him whatsoever. 

He went to bind the girl's wrists and ankles when she began to stir in her force-endured slumber. Maul frowned. _Odd_ he thought to himself _this is not meant to happen_. He shrugged the thought away when he gagged the girl, in case she did wake up. This world was a strange one and its inhabitants were even stranger to Maul. He had to idea what resistance they had against the power of the force.

Again, the girl stirred in his arms and he attempted to use the force again to push her into an even deeper sleep. When he was satisfied that the girl would not wake, he loaded her onto the ship, confining her to a small cage in the cargo hold. _The other masters will be pleased_ he thought to himself, a sly smile playing across his lips, as he looked down at the girl at his feet.

* * *

His eyes snapped open. Something was not right. The screams. The sound of blasters. Children crying. A mother's desperate plea. A girl was missing. He shook his head. _Strange dream_. He got up and began to wash and clothe, preparing himself for another day, when he heard voices from the room next door. He frowned for a second time. That room was not to be used unless there was an emergency. He opened the connecting door and found all the members of the Council arguing hotly. 

"Master Yoda," one of them finally greeted him. He swiveled to find the owner of the voice.

"Trouble there is, Master Windu?" Yoda asked precariously. A heavy silence fell upon the room.

"Well, actually," Windu chose his words carefully "we're not sure…" Yoda blinked slowly.

"We are receiving signals of distress," another member chimed in "but we cannot be sure whether they are…real."

"Master Mudi, real you said past transmissions were," Yoda remarked, "why doubt these transmissions, hmm?"

"These transmission are different, master," Windu explained "They speak of things that we believe are impossible."

"What things?" Yoda persisted.

"The transmissions are reports that a girl has gone missing in the Unknown Planet, Master" yet another council member explained "They claim that the girl was abducted by an 'alien ship'"

"The description give of the ship perfectly matches one of those used by the Sith." Mundi took over. "This is impossible. The Sith do not know the location of the Unknown Planet."

"Impossible it is not." Yoda sternly reprieved Mundi "Know we do not that the Sith have knowledge of this planet."

"I agree, Master," Windu nodded "Yet some members are still convinced that this is may be the case."

Before Yoda knew it, the room was yet again filled with arguments and debates. He sighed and made his way back to his own room. When he remembered the dream from the previous night. He sat down and closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind. The dream he had the night before and the transmissions were certainly linked. _But how?_ He wondered. A girl was in danger. Her home planet's safety was probably in jeopardy as well. And all the council would do about it was to sit down and argue about the options they had. Yoda opened his eyes. Where were these thoughts coming from? They were certainly not his own! He did not act in this way. It almost felt as though someone was talking to him about the situation. Someone close. _But who?_

Yoda looked up to see Master Windu standing near the door frame of the connecting door.

"This has to stop." Windu stated, "We have to act fast if we are to save the girl."

Yoda merely nodded. Were those no the thoughts he was having just a minute or so ago? _Strange_. He thought to himself.

"We should get a Master-Padawan team to work on this." Windu suggested.

"Specialists on the Sith Masters Master Qui-Gon and his apprentice are," Yoda spoke slowly "Suggest I do that they investigate."

"This will be a complex mission. I believe two Master will be needed." Windu advised.

"Who do you suggest?" Yoda asked with a perplexed frown.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 **

I woke with a start. I was dizzy and every inch of my body screamed endlessly in pain. I felt like I'd fallen from a ten-storey building and somehow managed to survive. I tried to move my shoulders a little bit and they throbbed in protest. I groaned loudly. I hadn't felt like this since the morning after my first snowboarding lesson. I remember the feelings on stiff soreness and walking around all day like I was made of cardboard. I suddenly realised that my groan had actually come out muffled and that I was gagged. _This is weird._ I began to look around and try to work out where I was. I then also worked out that my ankles and wrists had been tied up. _What the? What the? _A surge of panic hit me when I remembered the situation I was in. I desperately tried to get myself up, but this only resulted in me falling pathetically on my back. I moaned in pain. A face came into my line of sight. My vision was blurred, as I had lost my glasses somewhere in the park. I squinted, trying to identify whom it was. A man, for sure, but who was he. _Friend or foe?_ I scrambled backward and managed to sit myself up, using a rocky wall behind me to aid me. _Is he smiling??_ He suddenly yelled out something. I couldn't hear what he had said, exactly, as my ears were still ringing from…well I wasn't really sure why my ears were ringing. I was relieved somewhat because I realised this was not the man who had captured me beforehand. I could tell by the voice.

Suddenly, what looked like a mountain of metal came into my line of view. My panic level soared as I just saw the man quietly say something to it. I desperately get away when I saw it come towards me. I tried to scream as it continued to approach. I flinched as it stopped right in front of me. I was afraid that they were going to hurt me. When I realised that nothing had actually happened, I began to un-cringe. I looked way up to see what exactly stood in front of me, and I almost fainted. General Grievous was a menacing tower, standing to his full height in front of me. I looked down and shook my head furiously. _This can't be happening. This can't be real._ I closed my eyes tightly and tried not to be sick from the fright. This was not like the Star Wars movie I saw at the cinema 3 years ago. This was real. Again, I shook my head and this time I looked up into Grievous's eyes with defiance. _This is a sick joke and it has to end NOW!_ His eyes were cold and empty, like I had expected, yet I saw a glimmer of surprise there, as if he did not expect to meet any resistance from anyone in my position. Especially not from a girl like me.

"Grievous, bring her here." A voice from behind him said. I gasped. _Is that…?_ I yelped and before I could finish the thought as Grievous grabbed me by the collar of my jacket, lifting me up easily, and did as he was told. I gasped for a second time as my suspicions were confirmed. Count Dooku stood in front of me, a cold smile playing across his lips. Grievous took his hold from me and I fell on my knees with a grunt, my legs not strong enough to hold me up. Dooku then crouched down and I looked away, unwilling to meet those cold eyes again. He forcefully gripped my chin and forced me to look at him. I tried to pull away but he was stronger than I was. His cold eyes surveyed me closely. _This is way too close for comfort._ I began to think after a few timeless seconds. An evil smirk crossed the man's face and he pushed me down and I landed on my back, at Grievous's feet. It was then that I realised that I was at their mercy. Dooku stood, looking down at me.

"Take her for a health check." Dooku spoke harshly, "I don't want a repeat of what happened last time." His cold look faced Grievous.

_What happened last time??_ I as in a state on permanent panic. I then saw Grievous's taloned hands reach for me. I whimpered and try to get away from that hash grip, but there was not way to defend myself with my hands tied behind my back and my immobile legs. He grabbed me and easily swung me over his shoulder. I landed with a loud groan, his hard metal shoulder digging into my already sick stomach.

_This is outrageous._ I thought half-furiously as I was carried away. After what seemed like a lifetime Grievous grabbed me by the collar of my jacket, and this time he was less brutal, setting me down on a chair. _There, I knew you could be a gentleman when you really want to._ I thought with a bit of humour, my eyes sparkling as I looked up. He gave me a look of disapproval as he went to untie my wrists. My hands moved quicker than I thought, trying to untie my ankles so that I could escape, yet as soon as I moved, Grievous grabbed my wrists and pushed me down. To my dismay, my wrists were tied up again, this time above my head. Grievous went to do the same to my ankles and I tried to fight him off, but of course he was stronger that me.

He went to leave when he threw one last evil glare at me. I was surprised that I did not meet the same amount of cold hatred from him as I did with Dooku. I shook my head in dismay. _Either I'm dreaming, or I've totally lost it or_ I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a low hissing noise from behind _this is a really sick joke and it has to stop now._ I yelped when I saw a robot watching over me. This one did not have an aggressive aura, unlike the other robots, and did not even possess a gun, and I was beginning to sense an odd sense of compassion coming from it. It began to run weird tests on me, checking that I was in good order I supposed. It suddenly stopped as soon as it checked my eyes. I'd been short sighted for 7 years. The droid rushed away and I was left alone. I tried desperately to fight against the bonds holding me down; afraid that now they would hurt me when I hear that low hiss from behind again. And it was not a droid that stood next to me. I gasped when I saw an Utapaun look down at me, his face grave with concern. He checked my eyes as well and sighed sadly. I felt a prick on my right arm and the next thing I knew, I was put back to sleep.

I woke up feeling dizzy and disorientated. It was pitch black. Or was it just my imagination? I found that I could move my arms and legs and that I was no longer gagged. I tried to regain all my senses, but I still couldn't see a thing. I ran my hands over my face and found that I was blindfolded. I desperately tried to rip off the blindfold when I felt someone gently took my wrists.

"Stop," the warm, accented voice greeted my ears "I will not hurt you. You are recovering from surgery." _Surgery?_ I tried to think back. _What surgery? What happened? Who is this??_

"Do not fret," the voice continued, "you are safe for now." I sighed and tried to make myself relax and I was brought back down to long winded and unspecific dreams.

* * *

The next time I woke up, my head swam and I felt as though I had lost consciousness for a long time, and I moaned softly as I realised that the pain in my body was not gone. I could see the outline of someone…or something. I squeezed my eyes shut and re-opened them to find the same Utapaun I had seen before I fell into unconsciousness…or was I really asleep? The weirdest thing was that my vision had become a lot sharper, and it felt as though I was wearing my glasses. I reached up to touch the area around my eyes and, to my surprise; I found no glasses, nothing that was aiding my vision. I looked at the Utapaun once more and frowned. _Did I just have eye surgery??_ The creature smiled gently at me. 

"She has been cured," he spoke, and it was then that I realised that he was the one talking to me before, when I was blindfolded. _So that's what he meant by surgery,_ I realised _he performed eye surgery on me._ I smiled back at him when I realised what had happened, but that smile was swiftly wiped off my face as General Grievous came into my line of sight. I jumped slightly and drew myself back as I was frightened that he would hurt me. Seeing this, the Utapaun came forth and checked my eyes.

"Do not be afraid," he quickly whispered to me as he worked, "they will not harm you."

"What do you mean?" I whispered back, keeping a close eye on Grievous, who stood back, watching us.

"They need you," was the short reply as the Utapaun began to draw away from me. I was still confused. _What do they need me for?_ I began to wonder. _I'm just a seventeen-year-old kid. What use am I to them? _

Grievous abruptly grabbed me and threw to the ground. I landed with a soft grunt and looked up at him. _What was it that the Utapaun just said? That you weren't going to hurt me?_ I cringed; the fear that he would hurt me rose for a second time.

* * *

"Get up." He ordered, his voice reminded me of poison. I shook my head. 

"I said, get up!" He demanded for a second time.

"I c-can't," I tried to make my voice sound even and steady "My legs won't hold me up."

That's right, my legs were still frozen. _This must be my lucky day! Not…_

He sighed in frustration (yes: sighed!), grabbed me and swung me over his shoulder again. Again I groaned loudly as his metallic should dup deeply into my already sensitive gut. _Like I said before, this must be my lucky day!!_

I looked up and saw the Utapaun look at me, a sympathetic smile played across his lips. I smiled back at him gently and mouthed _Thank you_. And then, I was taken away.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

I landed again with a grunt. _My goodness, you have no manners!_ I thought half furiously, half mischievously as I looked up at the monster that was General Grievous. _This is no way to treat a lady!_

"Grievous!" A voice barked behind me. I shuffled around to look at the owner of the voice. "This is no way to treat a lady!" Count Dooku mimicked my thoughts. I narrowed my eyes as I looked up at him. _You better not be reading my thoughts…_I can try to be menacing when I want to. Note here the key word is 'try'.

Dooku threw an evil smile at me when eyes suddenly looked beyond me. I turned to find that there was indeed a third presence in the room. A shadow approached me with an air of aggressive confidence. I quickly scrambled backwards until my back hit a rocky wall, trying to get away from this presence. The shadow stopped before it entered the light and I gulped. When the shadow revealed itself, my jaw could have hit the floor. Darth Maul stood in front of me, his sickened, yellow eyes observing me with an air of pride in ownership. The kind of aura you would expect to come from someone looking at their new pet.

I whimpered quietly and tried to press myself further into the wall as I saw the three of them approach me. I quickly calculated the odds: on one side there was me, a seventeen-year-old girl with numb legs and, although I've been told that I am strong for a girl, yet that was not strong enough. On the other side there was a metal monster and two Force-sensitive freaks. There's no doubt about who would with this fight. I realised it was hopeless, yet my mind refused to give up. _I will not give in to them._

Dooku and Grievous stopped, allowing Maul to approach me and crouch right in front of me. I cringed a little and turned my head away from him, not wanting to face him. Maul grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him, his eyes searched mine. I don't recall ever being so afraid before and I desperately tried to get away from him.

My eyes looked elsewhere but at him. They looked in Dooku's direction and I sensed an aura of satisfaction coming from him. My eyes then moved to look at Grievous, who in turn stared back with his blank, expressionless eyes. Yet I could sense a very slight feeling of horror coming from his direction and I frowned.

"Look at me!" Maul growled menacingly at me. I jumped and gasped at the same time, and this time, when my eyes returned to his, I searched his eyes back. _You kidnapped me, didn't you?_ He smiled, as if he was responding to my unspoken question, and I was really beginning to wonder if he could read my thoughts.

"Have you informed the Chancellor about her?" Maul asked, his eyes not leaving mine.

"All in due time, my friend," Dooku responded from behind Maul

"Make sure the Jedi are watching as well," Maul spoke, still looking at me "I would like to show them what we are capable of." What he did next threw me off guard. He, almost gently, stroke my hair with the back of his hand. I winced; a shiver ran down my back, his power overwhelmed me. Afraid, I attempted to push him away, but of course he didn't move and inch. His grip on my chin tightened.

"You would do well to submit to us, girl." He warned me, his hard eyes still stared at me. I started to become more restless, in a vain attempt to get away from him.

"Enough!" Dooku boomed from behind Maul, and my eyes widened as I saw that he was approaching us. Maul slowly stood up and I looked down, unwilling to see the two men towering over me.

"Grievous," Dooku called "Take her away and let her rest." His eyes fastened themselves upon me.

"She has a big day tomorrow."

As Grievous was about to grab me, and the other two stood at the door away, Dooku called out to Grievous once more.

"Be more gentle with her," He ordered and I looked at him. "I don't want her to be hurt…yet."

Grievous grabbed me by the jacket collar and took me to a cylindrical cage that stood in the middle of a room, where he carelessly dropped me on the floor of the cell. Had I not broken the fall with my hands, I would have landed face-first on the floor, probably breaking my nose. _Is this your idea of gentle?_ I though furiously while I looked at him. _I don't want to be around when you're told to be rough._ I curled up on the floor and tried to make myself go to sleep, not that I got much sleep that night.

* * *

"Get up!" a voice near me roared "Now!!" I took me a while to realise that the demanding voice belonged to Grievous, who had remained in that room the entire night. Like I said before, I barely got any sleep. My mind kept filling up with thoughts and memories of what had happened in such a short amount of time. _How long have I been here for? _I wondered for the first time. I ignored Grievous and pretended to be asleep, hoping that he might leave me alone to get some rest. 

"Get up or I will make you get up." His voice was filled with menace. I turned around to face him and opened one eye at him.

"Does this girl look like she gives a damn??" I asked him, half seriously, half mischievously. When he did not reply, I sighed softly and sat up knowing that I would not get any more sleep.

"What now?" I asked, a little annoyed.

"Get up and follow." He stated simply. I scoffed and gave him one of those looks that said: 'are you stupid??' before I gingerly attempted to stand and realised that I had regained some strength in my legs and that I was able to stand and walk. I made my way out of the cell and began to follow Grievous. The sensation of walking was strange, almost new to me, and it felt as though I was re-learning how to walk. We arrived at a door, which Grievous opened and when I saw that Maul was waiting for me inside, I took a few steps backwards, trying to get away. Grievous grabbed my arm before I could move any further.

"Get in." He growled lowly. I gulped and looked at Maul. My mind was ordering my legs to run but I did not dare to move with Grievous holding my arm. I took a shaky breath and made my way in. The door hissed shut behind me and walked backwards as Maul stalked up to me, until my back hit Grievous and I knew that there was no way for me to escape. I whimpered as Maul's hand went to stroke my cheek in an almost tender manner causing me to shiver involuntarily. I looked down, anywhere but at Maul. He grabbed my chin and lifted my head slightly in order to gag me. It was with a tremendous shock that I realised that he intended to take my freedom from me. And I wasn't about to give in so easily. I was trying to push him away from me, when Grievous grabbed my wrists and twisted them easily behind my back. I cried out in pain and twisted my back away from him in a vain attempt to loosen his hold on me. They bound my wrists yet, surprisingly; they did not bind my ankles.

Maul stepped away and Grievous started to push me ahead. I refused to move, afraid of what was in store for me past the next door. This proved no resistance to Grievous as he easily picked me up by the collar of my jacket and threw me in. I landed hard on my weak knees and moaned softly. Grievous stood behind me and when I attempted to stand, he forced me back down on my knees.

"Turn around," he commanded and I did not dare, at this point in time, to disobey, even if my rebellious mind screamed in protest. I turned around so that I was still on my knees and I faced him. I looked up at him, desperately trying to find a glimmer of emotion within those expressionless eyes.

He suddenly bent down and pulled at my hair. Hard. I cried out in pain again, and just as I thought that he was going to leave me be, he slapped me across the face with the back of his hand, with enough force to make me cry out and fall to the ground. He then grabbed me and pulled me back on my knees, this time I faced away from me. I winced afraid that he would hit me again. Instead, he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me close.

"You will watch." His voice was sensitive to my ear, which still rang from the strike. I opened my eyes to see that Dooku was looking at us, and that beyond him, there was a blue, life-size image of a group of people watching us. None of them moved a muscle.

"Leave her be," one of them, a man, spoke "She has nothing to do with this."

"Oh, not at all, Master Windu," Dooku spoke coolly "She has everything to do with this."

"What is it that you want, Dooku?" yet another man spoke "This planet is not useful to you."

"On the contrary, Chancellor," Dooku replied, his eyes now fastened upon me "This planet is of many uses to us, and if you do not give us the ownership we seek, then this lovely young lady you see here will die." The reality of what was going on hit me like a speeding train and I tried to squirm out of Grievous's grip. In seeing this, Dooku threw me an evil smirk.

"Grievous, why don't you bring her here to be better seen?" he invited sneakily. _NO!_ I refused to be seen by these people in the condition I was in. I struggled against Grievous in a desperate attempt to get away but it did no good. He threw me near Dooku. I refused to look up at the people that stared down at me. I could feel Grievous squat down behind me.

"You will watch." He repeated and I shook my head in refusal. He grabbed my hair and pulled. My scream was muffled and I was forced to look up with eyes that were filled with tears, some of which slipped down my cheeks. I hated appearing weak and tried to fight Grievous off me. Knowing that my actions would do no good, I looked up at the people to meet their grave expressions. Tears slid uncontrollably down my cheeks as I watched them looking at me. An odd sensation of warmth and comfort cuddled me from the inside as I gazed at some of their faces, and I began to calm, my fear beginning to recede.

"Think about it," Dooku's voice made me jump "You have ten days." And the image disappeared. Yet the feelings of comfort remained. Grievous released my wrists and ungagged me, still I did not move from where I was, thoughts and emotions swimming through my head. I had come to the realisation that this indeed was not a sick joke. This was very real.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn stood in the shadows of the room. He was not supposed to be there, as only five members of the Jedi Council were requested to attend this emergency meeting. Apparently, they were going to get an important direct vid message from Count Dooku himself. Qui-Gon sensed that somehow he was involved with the abduction of the girl from the Unknown Planet. He had spent hours in the past few days trying to learn about the girl, and he had been able to do so from transmissions that were being received form the Unknown Planet. Reports, discussions, speeches, even interviews with the girl's parents were snippets of information to him. So far, he had learnt that her name was Melanie Patterson, a 17-year-old student, who loved life and enjoyed spending time with friends.

He thought that this meeting would be of a lot more use if he was able to discover something, and if he did, he had Mace Windu to thank for inviting him to the meeting. In front of him sat the Chancellor, along with Yoda, Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Adi Gallia. They all sat silently, waiting for the vid screen to switch on. Eventually, the screen became alive, and the image of Count Dooku appeared on the screen.

"Greetings Chancellor and my old Jedi friends," Count Dooku flashed one of his cold smiles at them. "I have summoned this meeting to discuss about what you refer to as the Unknown Planet." Qui-Gon sensed the tension amongst the Masters in front of him rising.

"If I am correct, the Planet has not been officially recognised," Dooku continued, "hence it may be colonised."

"That is incorrect, Count Dooku," the Chancellor spoke up, "Although the planet has not been officially recognised, it is still under the protection of the Galactic Senate."

"Ah, but this is still unofficial, which is why it may still be colonised," Dooku interrupted, "and all I need is the official agreement of our colonisation of this planet."

"What makes you think that we will co-operate?" Master Windu challenged.

"I have my methods." Dooku replied coolly and snapped his fingers. A muffled scream was heard from behind Dooku and Qui-Gon watched in horror as the screen showed the image of General Grievous striking a girl, who was on her knees, with the back of his hand. Grievous pulled her back up and she winced as he said something to her quietly, his claws tightly gripping her much smaller shoulders. She then looked up and saw them, her eyes clearly reflecting the horror, the terror, and the pain she was experiencing.

"Leave her be," Windu demanded, "She has nothing to do with this."

"Oh, not at all, Master Windu," Dooku replied coolly "She has everything to do with this."

"What is it that you want, Dooku?" the Chancellor the was most horrified by the sight, "This planet is not useful to you."

"On the contrary, Chancellor," Dooku replied, his eyes now fastened upon the girl "This planet is of many uses to us, and if you do not give us the ownership we seek, then this lovely young lady you see here will die." Qui-Gon noticed the girl trying to escape Grievous's severe grip.

"Grievous, why don't you bring her here to be better seen?" Dooku invited sneakily. The girl struggled against Grievous's hold, in a desperate attempt to escape, as he dragged her closer to the vid screen to be better seen. He threw her near Dooku. She refused to look at the screen and Grievous squatted down behind her. He whispered something and she shook her head furiously. Grievous suddenly grabbed her hair and pulled on it, hard. Her chilling scream was muffled and she was forced to look up, her eyes filled with tears, some of which slipped down her well-defined cheeks. She again attempted in vain to fight off Grievous. As she looked up at the vid screen, the fear and pain were clearly reflected in those large eyes, which, Qui-Gon knew, would often sparkle with laughter. Qui-Gon's heart went out to her, and he attempted to use the Force to calm her down and comfort her troubled spirit. He saw tears slide uncontrollably down her cheeks as she began to slightly calm down.

"Think about it," Dooku's voice intruded, "You have ten days." And just like that, the only communication he had with this girl disappeared. A heavy silence hung in the air, when the Chancellor's comlink signalled. He spoke quietly into it, then turned it off and with a sad sigh walked towards the large window that gave an overview of the city.

"I'm afraid the situation has worsened," the Chancellor broke the silence as he gazed on the view from the window, "a child has been kidnapped."

* * *

I was still in tears when Grievous threw me back into my cell. I curled up on the floor and refused to move at all. Thoughts of what had happened earlier ran through my head. _I'm going to die, unless a miracle happens._ No matter what, I could not stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks. 

Sometime later that day, Grievous pushed in a plate of food in the cage.

"Eat!" He ordered, yet I ignored him, not wanting to waste any energy turning around to look at the food or at him. He then left, maybe thinking that I was asleep or giving up on me. To me, the second option seemed to me like the more realistic one. The day dragged on slowly, until nightfall, when I fell asleep, and my cheeks were still wet.

* * *

My eyes snapped open as I felt that something was not right. I rolled over to the other side, and surprisingly my body did not scream in pain, but I still felt emotionally drained. I could hear hushed voices whisper and see dark shadows stand in the darkness of the room, the machinery that occupied it serving as the only source of light. They came closer and I shut my eyes, feigning sleep. 

"But she is so young," a voice that was new to my ears spoke, "How will she be of any further use to us?"

"It may not seem like it now," Dooku's unmistakable voice replied, "but she will be of good use to us. Speaking of which, did you not have a task to complete?"

"Did you really expect me to return empty-handed?" the voice retorted and there was a clicking noise, as if someone had snapped their fingers. I heard frightened screams as the door opened, but I did not open my eyes. The screams came closer and I realised that someone else had been taken hostage. I opened my eyes to see a small, dark figure being thrown into the cage. The newcomer quickly scrambled backwards as the figures standing outside watched on intently. I slowly sat up, and noticed that Grievous was watching the tiny shadow as well. I reached out to carefully cradle the small shadow, and it was when I looked more closely that I saw that the shadow was indeed a little girl. Frightened tears ran down her small cheeks and the sight reminded me of myself earlier that day. I cuddled her closely as I curled up on the floor, oblivious to the fact that the four shallows standing outside were all watching me intently. I could feel as much as hear the kid sob, as she cried herself to sleep. I too fell asleep quickly.

* * *

I woke up the next morning and found that the girl was still fast asleep in my arms. I looked down and saw her curled up against me, her small hands firmly holding my shirt, as though she were afraid that if she let go, she would be swept away. I gently brushed her fire-red hair away from her face and noticed that her eyes were squeezed shut, and my heart melted at the sight. I gently stroke a tender cheek. 

"It's OK," I whispered to her softly, "You're safe with me." She sniffled and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at me with those sad, green eyes. I tried to flash a reassuring smile and sat up, carefully cradling her in my arms. The girl hiccuped, a chocked sob. I held her close.

"Ssh, go back to sleep," I whispered, "You need to get some rest." The girl finally calmed down and I watched her as she slowly closed her eyes, and her breathing became more even. I was content to watch her sleep in my arms and tried to make myself as comfortable as possible, by sitting crossed legged, because I resolved that I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. _Famous last words,_ I thought as I saw General Grievous enter the room and approach the cage. He halted before the cage and stood there, watching us, and to my astonishment, he did nothing. I stared back at him. Until my arms got sore and I gingerly settled the girl in my lap, giving my arms a rest. I watched the kid sleep and noticed how peaceful she looked. I wondered what it was that she was dreaming about, and thought about the dreams I kept having, which were anything but peaceful.

I looked up, after quite a while, to find that a large group of…well…beings, really, stood outside the cage and watched us intently, and I realised what the animals at my local zoo felt like on a daily basis. I saw Dooku walk in with Darth Maul and another man I could not recognise and I wrapped a protective arm around the girl sleeping in my lap, who was now slowly regaining consciousness.

"Fascinating specimen," Dooku's voice silenced all the scattered chatter, his eyes pierced my soul. I returned the hard stare and gasps of surprise began to erupt throughout the room and the chatter returned, this time it was more intense.

"A defiant one," a voice behind me said, "interesting. Very interesting." The kid was fully awake by then, and she began to panic as she whimpered and pressed herself tightly against me. I picked her up in my arms and cradled her closely, when I saw Grievous approach the door to the cage, threatening to come in. _Don't you dare…_ I fixed him with a hard look, warning him.

"Leave them be, Grievous," Dooku spoke, "we have more important matters to deal with. If you would all please…" Dooku gestured towards a door, where all the beings began to scramble towards, until only one man was left. He was the second man Dooku had come in with. He stood there watching us, his eyes seemed gentler. He was a younger man, with short jet-black hair and pale blue eyes. _This is an odd genetic combination,_ I observed, and although I did not glare at him, I tried to appear defensive of the girl, and myself for that matter. I caught myself beginning to like him when I told myself off, _he's one of them, you idiot, just 'cos he looks nice, doesn't mean he is necessarily a nice guy, right?_ He flashed a smile at me, one that was not cold or harsh for that matter, which made me wonder even more about him, until…

"Are you joining us, Xanatos?" Dooku called from the doorframe. _XANATOS?! What the?!_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

I remained gob smacked for quite a while after the room had emptied. _Xanatos? What's he doing here? Where the hell am I in the Star Wars timeline??_ I began to wonder, oblivious to the fact that the girl in my arms a started to become restless and was beginning to cry.

" I want my momma." She began to whimper.

"Ssh, don't cry," I tried to comfort, "Everything will be fine." _Is that all you could come up with, you idiot? A little kid starts crying, and you know perfectly well that the both of you will die, and all you can say is 'everything's gonna be fine'?? Patterson, you twit! _I scolded myself when I actually realised what it was that I said. And, yes, I normally do call myself by my last name. Of course, the kid didn't stop crying.

"OK, why don't you tell me your name?" I attempted to change the subject in vain.

"Is everything alright?" a new voice made me jump slightly, and I recognised the Utapaun from before, the one who performed eye surgery on me. I forced a smile.

"Everything is fine, except," I was interrupted and the girl burst into tears, "she's getting a little restless." _Yeah, only a little._ He smiled gently.

"I think I may be able to help," he replied and pulled out an instrument that resembled a guitar. Correction: the instrument was a guitar. He sat down, tuned it and started playing some beautiful songs, but the girl would still not calm: when he finished, he looked at the girl helplessly, and shrugged.

"May I please borrow that?" I requested. I hadn't learnt an awful lot about guitars, but a close friend had shown me how to play a few, simple songs. He nodded and handed me the beautifully made instrument, made of a dark brown wood. I tuned the guitar and began to play 'Hey there Delilah' by Plain White T's.

To my complete amazement, the girl actually stopped crying, and looked up at me with large green eyes and listened to the song. When I was done, there was silence. The girl was half-asleep, her head resting on my knee, and when I looked up, to my astonishment, the Utapaun was not there any longer. To my horror, when I turned around, the entire congregation from before had returned from their little meeting and everyone was staring at me. I jumped and carelessly dropped the guitar, and grabbed the girl in my arms.

After and endless and awkward silence, one by one, the beings began to leave. I watched, confused about what exactly was happening. I unzipped my jacket and wrapped the girl in it, as I had felt her shiver in my arms. I was left with my black jeans and my blue polo shirt. When I tucked the kid next to the guitar, and looked up, I saw that only Grievous, Maul, Dooku and Xanatos were left, and none of them moved. I trembled a little, as I felt overwhelmed by their power.

"Stand up." Xanatos broke the silence. Curious about what was going to happen, I did as I was told. _Curiosity killed the cat_ a little voice in the back of my mind spoke. _But I'm not a cat, am I? _I chided it away in my head. Xanatos began to walk around the cage slowly, watching me, and I felt slightly intimidated by the sort of attention I was receiving from him. He came around and locked his eyes with me. His gaze was not harsh or cold, quite on the contrary, it was gentle and…inviting? I turned my head away, refuting to look at him again.

"I'll think about it." Xanatos said to Dooku, and left. I looked at Dooku, alarmed.

"What did he mean by that?" I asked quickly. He flashed one of his smiles again.

"You will see soon enough." He responded simply, and left with Maul. I sighed away the impatience and stretched myself on the floor next to the sleeping girl. I closed my eyes and tried to get some proper sleep for the time being and attempted to ignore the dreams that kept on tormenting me.

* * *

I woke up in tears and looked around to realise that I hadn't slept for very long. Or maybe I had slept for an entire day. I couldn't be sure. The kid was still fast asleep and envied for the peaceful dreams she appeared to have. I sat up and wiped away the tears. When I looked down at the girl for the second time, I noticed that she was shivering and that it had become quite cold. I unzipped my hoodie and took it off, wrapping the small girl in it. When I looked up and saw that no one was there, I managed to relax a little. 

"They were right, you know," a voice behind me made me jump "you really are an odd one." I swiftly turned to face Xanatos, who stood there, hands behind his back, watching me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, a little frightened. The fact that he had not displayed any sort of hatred or resent made me fear him more than all the other Sith Lords, for some odd reason.

"Well," he began to circle the cage, "one moment you will act in a defiant manner, then the next you will be so frightened." He stopped.

"Why is that?" He asked. I opened my mouth to answer, when I slammed it shut and narrowed my eyes.

"Why are we even having this conversation?" I demanded. He did not respond, yet a gentle smile played across his lips, which made me shiver involuntarily.

"What do you want from me?" I asked in a slightly more aggressive manner, "I have nothing to offer you."

"Quite on the contrary," He answered, "You have so much to offer." The way he looked at me then shook me to my core. I had never encountered that look by anyone before, and I could not give it a name, but it was a look of greed and possession and…my mind shied away from the thoughts of what that single look brought up.

"That's the last thing you'll ever get out of me." I spat at him, disgusted. He raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" He asked slyly, his eyes surveyed me closely.

"I would rather die." I answered menacingly.

"Very well," He responded calmly and stood back, near one of the further tables, arms crossed across his chest. When I realised that he wasn't going to leave anytime soon, I turned my back on him and rolled my eyes.

"Men," I muttered under my breath. My mind began to wonder off to thoughts about home and the people I had left behind, and what they were going through right now.

"So how is it that you came to be here?" Xanatos's voice made me jump for a second time.

"Let's just say that one of your little friends decided to borrow me without asking." I replied without facing him. He chuckled.

"You were abducted." His was more of a question than a statement.

"No freaking duh." I replied, rolling my eyes, and I could sense him smile at this reaction. The girl in front of me began to wake up, and when her sleepy eyes looked into Xanatos's direction, she jumped and quickly crawled into my lap, her face hidden in my arms.

"What in the name of god did you do to this girl?" I demanded, my face turned towards where he was standing. He shrugged.

"I don't know what you mean." He replied in that calm voice of his.

"Well, this sort of reaction is far from normal," I paused for a second, "to me at least." He laughed.

"I assure you that she has not been harmed in any way." He responded, his eyes now moving to gaze upon the girl. She whimpered and attempted to draw herself further into my arms, obviously uncomfortable from the sort of attention she was receiving from this man.

"She still seems pretty bloody traumatised to me." I informed him, and gently undid the zip of the jumper I had put on her, so that she was freer to move around. She snuggled up against me and tried to hide herself in it.

"Look, just get out, leave us alone." I demanded softly, becoming very uncomfortable by the sort of way he was acting around the girl and me. I had just had enough of him.

"Very well," he sighed and he approached the cage. "But I will be back for you. That's a promise." I shivered.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

"Ssh, it's ok" I desperately tired to calm down the crying girl in my arms. My eyes helplessly looking at Grievous's furious expression.

"Make her be quiet." He demanded, stepping forward menacingly.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry, but I'm not the one who made her cry in the first place." I almost shouted the last part of that statement. The days had slowly gone by and by now; we only had five more days to live, according to Dooku. The more time passed, the less I cared about what they were going to do to me, hence the more resistant and rebellious I proved to them. I stood up and walked around the cage, in an attempt to calm the girl down. It worked, to some extent, yet the girl was still sobbing. _That's it! I know what to do!!_ I realised.

"What if I take her out for a walk?" I asked Grievous, my eyes enhancing the desperate plea "It will calm her down." He considered this for a moment and quietly spoke to two of his bodyguards. The two robots then came over to open the cage, allowing me to carry the girl out, and so I began to walk around with her. Of course, I was not to go out of the bodyguards' sight. I didn't really mind them; to me all that mattered was that the girl was a lot calmer, I was outside the cage and, most importantly, I was away from any of those force-sensitive freaks, Grievous included. Not that I particularly minded him since, lately, he had ignored me quite a bit (thank goodness!) and he was probably the only one who had not fixed me with one of those freaky stares Xanatos liked to use around me. We arrived at a balcony and I looked out, admiring the beautiful view of flora and fauna that I could have never imagined. I began to point out random things to the girl and say they kind of stupid things you would say to an average toddler like, "Ooh, look at that pretty thing." Or "Aw, isn't that gorgeous?" To me it was plainly obvious that I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing, but the girl seemed fascinated by the things I began to point out. I suddenly noticed a group of Utapaun children playing by the water hole, and so did the bodyguards beside me.

"Can we join them?" I asked one of the bodyguards. It did not reply in any way.

"I'm guessing that's a 'yes'" I eyed it carefully. Again, it did not reply. And, so, we made our way down to the water hole.

"That's a pretty flower." The girl said to me as we were making out way down. At first I was amazed that she had finally managed to say something to me, yet I still managed to smile down at her.

"That's right," I acknowledged. After a little while, I tried to keep the conversation going.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" I asked gently.

"My name is Karis and I'm almost four years old." She replied, her eyes shining brightly at the reply.

"Four years old? Whoa, you're becoming a big girl, aren't you?" I lavished her with praise, knowing it would make her a lot happier. This resulted in her becoming more comfortable to talk, and by the time we arrived to where the group of children were playing, she jumped out of my arms and ran to join them immediately. I noticed that there was a small group of about 5 women standing close by, watching over the children. I got closer, greeting them and they immediately welcomed me into their group. _What a nice bunch of ladies_ I thought as I began to chatter with many of them. It turned out that was, indeed a sort of child-care group, which took care of most of the young kids living around the area for a better part of the day.

"Is she yours?" One of the women asked politely, gesturing towards Karis. I laughed.

"No, I'm too young to have kids," I replied and everyone went quiet

"At least, where I come from that's how it is" I quickly added.

"Is that so?" The same woman asked, fascinated by this. And onwards went this conversation. It turned out that, according to their tradition, women are to be married off by the age of 15 and by 17 they are expected to have had several children. I explained to them the situation on Earth, where in the early days, it was normal for a 15 year old girl to be married off to a 30 something year old man, whereas now this is heavily frowned upon. As we chattered I would, every now and then look out to see what Karis was up to, and then I would glance around my shoulder to watch where the bodyguards had gone off to. To my relief they remained on one of the large rocks surrounding the group.

Then, when I glanced behind my shoulder for what seemed like the 100th time, they had disappeared. I kept a close eye on Karis, half expecting them to appear in front of her. I was ready run and snatch her away, when I heard the introduction to the song "Untouched" by the Veronicas. _What in the name of…?_ I got up and carefully observed that the bodyguards were out of sight.

"Watch her for me, will you?" I asked the woman closest to me. She smiled and nodded. I followed the sound of whereabouts the music was coming from and encountered a semi-opened door. I peered inside and saw that no one was inside and I took a last look behind my back to see that no one had followed, and I slipped inside. The room was filled with various machinery and screens, and at the centre of the room stood one large screen, where the music was coming from, and on the screen there was a sort of slideshow with various pictures of me. _Ok, what the hell is going on here?!_ I walked around and found that each screen showed TV reports, current affairs programs and so on about me. _Can someone please explain all this???_ I was lost and confused and…well I just didn't know how to feel.

"They miss you." A familiar voice spoke gently behind me.

"I thought I'd never see you again," I turned around and crossed my arms across my chest to face Xanatos "What d'you want?" I demanded harshly.

"Now, now, then," he chided lightly "I thought we agreed that you were to show a little more respect." I snorted in response.

"Yeah, right," I answered.

"What's all this about anyway?" I growled menacingly, gesturing at all the screens.

"All in good time," he replied simply, and began to pace around the room. I was careful to keep my distance, afraid of what he was going to do.

"You come from a very complex world," He observed. I didn't answer and kept moving to keep my distance "yet it is amazing how…untouched you are." His leering gaze watched my every move.

"What is it that you want from us?" I demanded, becoming more uncomfortable by the minute.

"We are in need of a military base, and of course, workers that will operate it." He began to explain.

"I don't understand." I spoke more softly.

"Your planet is perfect for our needs: it has ideal areas to set up several military bases and, as an added bonus, it has so many inhabitants we may use."

"What do you mean 'use'?" I started to raise my voice, alarmed at what I was realising.

"We will need an extensive slave labour force to operate the machinery needed, and those who are not fit enough for the job, will be taken and most likely sold to be used for experimenting." He went on to explain, his voice passive as he spoke.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" I screamed suddenly, "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!" I was furious at what it was that I was hearing, and I had had enough!

"Is that so?" His voice was now sweet, and I knew that he was now after me, "Would you like me to show you how it is that we will get the more rebellious ones to submit to us?" And just like that, he had me cornered between two screens at the far end of the room. He then made a gesture with his hand, and I was inexplicably frozen on the spot, and with yet another gesture, I was flung across the room, where my back was bashed against the wall near the door. I was fixed in place, and I watched helplessly as he walked up to me. When he stood right in front of me, I was released and Xanatos gripped my shoulders tightly, pinning me to the wall easily. I willed my body to fight back, but I couldn't move a muscle from the pain of the impact with the wall. When I finally looked up at him, he was smiling in an almost gentle manner again.

"Pity," he began "pretty girls like you don't deserve to be hurt." What he did next will haunt me for the rest of my life. He leaned forwards and kissed my lips. My protests were muffled and my body had started to regain its strength, and I desperately tried to push him away from me. When he finally did pull away, his eyes tried searing mine, and I refused to look at him.

"You disgust me," I spat "GET OFF ME!" He smiled as a reply.

"No, I don't think so." He retorted, his grin widening. What I did then caught him off guard, which it should have done, otherwise it wouldn't have worked. I thew him off me and twisted my torso, nearly breaking his fingers, and bolted for the door. I heard him running after me and I swiftly jumped out of his way, then lunged at him, grabbing him by the robes. The weak door gave way and we both fell to the floor, at the feet of the other Sith Lords.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

With one arm I pinned down Xanatos, and I raised the other, my hand curled into a fist, ready to bash him. But before I could do anything, someone behind me firmly gripped my raised fist and my other arm, harshly pulling me away from him.

"Let go of me!" I demanded furiously, thrashing against Grievous's solid grip. I watched as Xanatos was helped up, and kept resisting my captor.

"Let me go so I can rip him to shreds with my own bare hands!!" I snarled as Xanatos finally looked at me. He then reached up with his fingers and touched the corner of his mouth, a disgustingly sweet smile playing upon his lips. I swear that if Grievous had not had me in his grip, I would have most definitely broken most of the bones in Xanatos's body. I screamed and hollered in protest as I was pulled away and thrown back into the cage. Grievous then turned to his bodyguards.

"Get the girl." He commanded, and the reality of what was going to happen hit me like a speeding train.

"NO! NOT KARIS!" I cried out and began to bash one of the walls in desperation. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" Without taking another glance at me, they all left, leaving me screaming and in tears, terrified of what was going to happen to Karis. I sat myself down abruptly, my head in my hands, hot tears running down my flushed cheeks. _Oh my god, Karis, what have I done?!_ A sudden noise coming from the far end of the room made me jump and gasp in surprise at the same time. I remained standing and swiftly wiped away the tears, not wanting to appear weak in front of anyone. Then, the Utapaun who had healed my vision, and who lad lent me his guitar appeared with Karis in his arms.

"Oh my god! Karis you're alright!" I rushed forward and leaned against the bars that kept us apart.

"Are you OK?" she demanded and she reached out for me. I took her small hands in mine.

"I'm fine, sweety, I'm so glad you're alright." I whispered and almost burst into tears for a second time. I was about top say something when I hear a noise behind me.

"Take her and hide," I quickly told the Utapaun "Don't put yourselves in dangerous situations." He nodded and began to withdraw.

"What about you?" The kid demanded, not wanting to let go.

"Karis, I'll be fine." I reassured her quickly "Just go!" I urged before they both disappeared. I turned around to confront whoever was about to enter. A few minutes later, Xanatos entered with an aura of satisfaction. Words cannot describe the great urge I felt to march up to him and hurt him for what he had done. For what they had all done. But for some reason I hated him the most for it. My breath quickened and in clenched my hands into fists as I watched him standing there. _Calm yourself right down, Patterson,_ I told myself off _violence never solves anything and you know that._ And with that I started to calm down a little.

"What d'you want?" I growled, trying as hard as I could to keep my voice steady.

"You didn't let me finish, earlier." He spoke calmly.

"I didn't let you finish?!" I scoffed.

"Shall we conclude our little discussion or are you going to get me off track again?" He smiled at that last comment. I was about to go off at him, when I caught myself and took a few deep breaths to keep calm. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Whatever," I replied, putting my hands on my hips, "Go on."

"Although we did kidnap someone from your world at random, Maul chose you over the girl because you are capable of playing a double role." Xanatos continued to explain his little plot to take over Earth.

"A double role? What double role??" I inquired further.

"Not only are you useful as a captive, but once we're done with you, you can come of good use." He explained, his eyes never leaving mine.

"What the hell do you mean?" I grumbled menacingly.

"You have been sold as a slave." He plainly explained, and all the blood in my face was drained at the news.

"To whom?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper from the shock.

"The highest bidder." He spoke as he leaned back against the wall behind him, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

"Who was the highest bidder?" I asked softly, not wanting to hear the answer.

"Me." He replied and I almost fainted from the shock. I abruptly sat myself down, took my shaking head in my hands and looked to the ground, refusing to believe what he had just told me.

"No," I whispered, tears of fear starting to well up in my eyes, "this can't be true." I was so absorbed in my thoughts of desperation that I did notice him enter the cage and crouch down in front of me. When he gently took my chin in his hand and lifted my face to look at him, the warm tears trickled down my cheeks and I gingerly tried to escape his grip.

"Stop struggling," he said in a hushed tone, and I looked straight into his eyes, the fear plainly conveyed on my every feature, "I will not hurt you." His hand dropped and he leaned forwards, our lips just millimetres away from each other. I knew exactly what he intended to do, and I wasn't about to let him do it again. Therefore, taking advantage of his unstable position and the element of surprise, I suddenly pushed him away and quickly bolted for the wide open door. I swiftly locked the cage door behind me and (quite literally) flew out of the room, running for my life. I didn't exactly know where I was going, and I didn't really care, as long as I was away from him. As I ran off, I could hear as much as feel several others hot on my heels. I didn't bother to look back to see who it was chasing after me, all I knew was that I wanted to get away and hide. When I reached an area with much more vegetation, I realised that I had lost those chasing me, and only when I knew I was well hidden, I allowed myself to burst into tears of fear and frustration. Although I allowed myself to rest, I did not sleep in case I had to move, if someone was about to find me. Hence, the whole night passed without me getting any sleep.

* * *

The next few days dragged on quite a bit, considering that I was on the run. I hadn't slept for the past three nights, and I was exhausted. Being on the run was so much harder than what I thought. Especially if you're running away from machines (which I may point: don't ever sleep or rest). I wasn't sure how long I could keep this going on for. 

Whilst running away from Grievous's bodyguards for the millionth time (and for the 957,364,218th time thinking _Why in God's name does Grievous need bodyguards?_), I found myself on one of the platforms running on top of the level where the Sith carried out their numerous activities. Hence, I discovered that I could spy on what was happening whilst being hidden, that was if no one decided to look up. I looked down and saw that right underneath me the Sith Trio and Grievous were having a little meeting, and I decided to listen in. _Are these guys totally bored or something? This is all they do, all the freaking time! _I thought to myself as I overheard the words 'destroying', 'world', and 'planning' _Jesus Christ, get a life, people!!_

"Excuse me, General," One of the robots approached the group, interrupting their meeting with its mechanical tone, "The girl has been spotted in area 12657." _Stupid brat!_ I cursed it in my head.

"What about the child?" Xanatos questioned it.

"There have been no reported sightings of her." It responded, and I blew out a breath I didn't even realise I was holding.

"When you capture the girl, I want you to bring her to me unhurt," Xanatos commanded it strictly "Understood?"

"Yes sir." Came the mechanical response. _In. Your. Dreams. _I thought to myself, not wanting to believe that I could be once again in his grip.

"I'd hate to see any marks on violence on her," he spoke after a while. Maul laughed.

"You don't mean that." He responded.

"I do," Xanatos was serious, "I believe that terror may be caused not only through violence, but through acts of gentleness" As he spoke, he walked a little away from the group and a little more in my direction. He then looked straight up at where I was standing and smiled sweetly.

"Isn't that right, Mel?" He called out to me and I stared back at him in horror. I had been found. I backed away and tried to run away once more, when my head was violently struck from behind me. My vision was blurred, and I slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

"NO!" I heard Xanatos call out before I passed out.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

I softly moaned in pain as I started to regain consciousness, my eyes still shut in an attempt to will out the light that increased the painful pounding in my head. It took me several minutes to realise that someone behind me was gently stroking my hair. Shocked, my eyes snapped open and I started to rise, trying to get away. I was then forcefully pushed back down by what felt like an invisible hand and I fell back into the…mattress? It was then that I realised that I had been lying in a soft and velvety (at lest it felt soft and velvety to me, after spending countless nights sleeping on a hard floor) mattress for all this time. No wonder my body felt more restored!! I softly groaned in pain and buried my face into the pillow beneath my head, in a vain attempt to decrease the pain in my head.

"Does your head still hurt?" Xanatos's voice was gentle in my ear, yet I still jumped, surprised. I moved my head to one side so I could speak.

"What do you think?" I retorted and he chuckled.

"Things will get better, you'll see." he spoke softly and gingerly nuzzled at my neck. A shiver ran down my spine, and if it hadn't been for his use of the Force on me to hold me down, I would have bolted away from him. Since there was nothing else I could do, I sighed and tried to keep the conversation going, trying to distract him from whatever he planned to do to me.

"With you around, I highly doubt that." I responded to his previous comment and I felt him smile against my skin.

"My dear girl, I think you may have gotten the wrong impression of me," As he spoke, I could feel his hot breath hit my overly sensitive skin, and I winced a little, "I can be a kind master."

"Whatever," I breathed trying to disguise the fact that his words had frightened me a little, "could you please just get off me?" I demanded as I became more annoyed with him. He chuckled again.

"As you wish," he replied and placed a soft kiss on my neck before he rose up and away from me. I turned my head around and saw that he had laid himself down next to me and was now propped up on his elbows, he inquisitive eyes searched my face. I sighed sleepily and tucked my hands under the pillow beneath my head. I closed my sore eyes.

"What is it that you want from me?" I asked, my voice still too soft for my taste.

"Let me see," he began, the irony clearly evident in his voice, "what could a man like me possibly want from a pretty, young girl like you?" My eyes snapped open again and I swallowed hard when I realised what he was implying, and turned my face away from him.

"Come now," he whispered in my ear, and I felt his hand come down on my back, gently stroking and massaging, "it isn't all bad. I will be kind to you if you promise to be a good slave." I winced at his words. I started to slowly get up, wanting to get away, when he used the Force to push me back down. I whimpered when I felt him nuzzle at my neck again, as well as his hand return to my back.

"I did not give you permission to leave," he murmured against my skin, "you're staying right where you are." He begun to press soft kisses against my neck, and I squirmed, uncomfortable with the amount of attention I was receiving from him. I squeezed my eyes shut again and the tears of fear that had started to gather were slipping down my cheeks. When Xanatos realised this, he stopped kissing my neck and looked down at me.

"Now, now then," his voice boomed in my sensitive ear, "what's this?" When I did not respond in any way, he sighed and removed his hand from my back. I then felt him rest his elbows on either side of me, preventing any form of escape.

"Look at me," he commanded when I did not move, "turn around." I opened my eyes and slowly began to turn around, afraid of what he would do to me if I did not comply. More tears slid down my cheeks as I looked up at him, his questioning eyes looking down at mine. I quickly looked away and fought the strong urge to sob out loud. Suddenly, I heard something to my left, and I gasped, searching for the source of the noise. I heard Xanatos sigh impatiently, and saw his right arm reach up to a closet-like piece of furniture, where he retrieved a strange device. My gaze followed his arm as he brought the device to his face.

"Yes?" Xanatos spoke hastily into it, his eyes never leaving mine.

"We have company," a voice, that I could not recognise, replied. Xanatos sighed in frustration again.

"I will be there soon." He responded, and with that he threw the device back onto the closet, and lifted himself up. He sat down at the foot of the bed, near me, in order to put his boots on. I sat up carefully, wiping away the tears.

"What's going on?" I asked with a broken voice, gathering a little courage.

"I need to leave for a while," He replied simply, "But I will return." He got to his feet rapidly, and with one gesture, his cloak flew to his hand.

"I have mounted a guard on every window and the door," He spoke as he dressed, "make sure you don't do anything stupid." And with that, he left me on my own.

* * *

As I searched around the vast room, looking for a way to escape, the reality of what was going to happen to me began to sink in. I couldn't stop the tears from running down my cheeks, the chocked sobs escaping my tightly clenched throat. Threw my head back onto the pillow and squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to believe that this was actually happening. When I slowly re-opened my eyes, I saw that right above me was an opening, covered by aluminium covering that was perhaps as big as an A3 sheet of paper. I quickly searched for pieces of furniture, which adorned the room, to stack on top of each other in an attempt to climb to the opening. I then found that if I used the closet by the bed and stacked one of the chairs I managed to find, I could reach the aluminium top. I took of my shoes and socks before climbing the furniture and undoing the screws that were holding the seal. Once I managed to undo those. I threw away the seal, which hit the floor with a loud clang. I held my breath for a few seconds, praying that none of the guards had heard that, before I pulled myself into a small compartment, which reminded me of a 'ventilation shaft', I had heard about in one of the Star Wars movies. And so, I started to crawl through the narrow corridor, in an attempt to find a way to escape Xanatos's grip.

* * *

My back crashed against the metallic wall, and I tried to catch my breath. I had been crawling around for hours, searching for a way to get out, but this place was like a maze. It me quite a while to realise that the light coming from above me was actually coming from an opening. I gasped in delight. _Freedom!!_ I thought with joy, as I easily climbed the walls to reach the top, and hopped out of the hole. _Finally!!!_ I looked around in satisfaction, when I heard mechanical voices call out behind me. To my horror, when I turned around, a large group of robots was chasing after me, ordering me to stop and to 'put my hands up'. _Damnit!_ And without a second thought I ran off, leaving them there to cry out at me. Soon after, Grievous's bodyguards were after me. I looked over my shoulder, swiftly, as I ran. _One…two…three…where's the fourth one?_ My thoughts were suddenly answered when the fourth bodyguard jumped in front of me in an aggressive stance. As I ran towards it, I used one of the several rocks lying on the rocky floor to jump up and with a swift kick in the face, I knocked it out. _K. O.!! One point for me, I believe._ I thought to myself with a satisfied smirk across my face. I then encountered an intersection, and panicked. _Which way? Left or right?_ I quickly tried to decide as I escaped, and at the last minute decided to go left. After running for another 100 meters, I realised my massive mistake, when I stumbled upon a little meeting being held by the usual trio, along with Grievous, and…Darth Vader?!?! _What in the world?_ I was horrified. _Now there's four of them!!_ It took a while to register Xanatos's furious expression and I tried to give a small, insecure smile. 

"Whups, silly me," I began as I slowly backed off, "Wrong room." I turned around to make a run for it, when I came face to face with the remaining three bodyguards. I swallowed hard and turned around, and tried to back off, as I saw Xanatos approaching me. Two of the bodyguards grabbed one of my arms each, preventing any form of escape, and my face whitened as I helplessly watched as Xanatos stormed his way towards me. When he stood right in front of me, he slapped me across the face with the back of hand, using enough force to make me cry out in pain, and to leave a red mark on my right cheek.

"Take her back," he commanded as he looked down at me with disgust, "and chain her to The Wall. I'll deal with her later." And I was taken away.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Darth Vader listened patiently as Count Dooku briefed him on the situation regarding the Unknown Planet. Most things that were being told were things Vader was already well aware about, yet he was becoming increasingly interested in the young captive they had taken. Vader had heard little of the girl, and had gathered from the stories told by the other Sith Lords that she was quite a defiant captive, and a very competent athlete. An interesting thing that they had all pointed out, was that she had shown much less fear than most of the other captives held by them, which made thing a whole lot more interesting for the three of them.

"I would very much like to see this girl…in action." Vader had remarked. Xanatos laughed at this.

"Oh, trust me, you'll see her in action," he replied, a smirk displayed on his face. At one point, the meeting as abruptly interrupted, and Vader felt behind him a presence of immense power and strength, a presence shone brightly within the Force, like a bright beacon shining in the midst of darkness. He turned around, and to his amazement, there stood a young girl, her breath ragged and her grew eyes wide with surprise when they landed on him. She then saw Xanatos, who had clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth with fury. Vader knew that he was not actually angry, and that he was in fact appearing to be in fury just to witness what her reaction would be. In fact, blood was drained from the girl's face as she realised that she was trapped to Xanatos's fury. When he reached her, I slapped her with the back of his hand, simply for the joy of causing pain. She cried out and her cheek reddened sightly.

"Take her back," his voice commanded, "and chain her to The Wall. I'll deal with her later." There was a slight change of tone in Xanatos's voice, which was the only indication to the rest of the Sith Lords that he had been satisfied with the girl's reaction, and that he was done with her for now. Yep, that was the Xanatos they knew: a man who enjoyed provoking suffering and fear in others.

"I hope that…performance satisfied you," he told Vader once he knew that he was out of earshot, "That's the last time, I'm letting her get away that easily." He, and a few other Sith Lords, laughed.

* * *

'Taking me back' was a task that I made hard to accomplish for the bodyguards. I protested and tried to fight them off, refusing to be taken back to Xanatos's lair. When we reached the…well…bedroom, really they kept pushing me forwards, until we reached a door, tucked casually away, near one of the old pieces of furniture. I was then thrust into a room that resembled a torture chamber that was used in ancient castles. I panicked as one of the bodyguards grabbed both of my wrists and bashed them against a rocky wall. The second bodyguard chained my wrists separate from each other, using chains that were firmly attached to the wall. I desperately tried to free myself with no result, and the more I struggled against the bonds restraining me, the more tired I grew. My legs were in pain, and I felt a sudden urge to sit down, but I couldn't do this, since the chains holding me did not allow me to do so. I turned my head, resting my cheek on the cold stonewall, letting out a soft sigh from the exhaustion and the frustration. The door suddenly hissed open and I saw Xanatos come in from the corner of my eye, his fury still clearly displayed on his face. He closed the door behind him and removed his black cloak. 

"I told you not do to anything stupid," he began, circling the room menacingly, "yet you did. You disobeyed me." _Screw you!_ I felt like screaming at him for doing this to me. However, prudence kept my mouth firmly shut.

"Do you know what a master does to a disobedient slave?" he asked, and I saw him approach me from the corner of my eye. I did not answer his question.

"He punishes her." He whispered in my ear when he reached me, one hand pinning my neck to the wall, almost suffocating me. As I struggled to regain my breath, I felt him rip open the back of my shirt.

"What are you doing?!" I demanded the fear clearly shown in my voice.

"Punishing you," he responded, gritting his teeth "Just so you think twice next time you consider running away from me." He then walked away, and set himself somewhere in the room where I could not see him. The fear rose once more in my stomach as I was tied there, my bare back making me feel even more vulnerable. _What does he want to do to me??_ Suddenly, I heard a whipping sound behind me, and seconds later I could feel something slap my back so hard that I thought my skin was going to tear. I screamed out, and when Xanatos came into my line of sight, I saw him standing there with a whip in his hand.

"One," he counted, and before I could say anything, he whipped me again, and again, and again. The pain was never-ending and I kept gritting my teeth to stop myself from screaming out, but once the whip made contact with my back, I couldn't stop the screams that erupted from my throat. By the fifth lash I was given, I was begging him to stop and by the tenth, I could feel my warm blood cover the entirety of my back. I was given twenty lashes. When he was done with me, Xanatos made a simple gesture with his hand and my wrists were released. I collapsed to the floor on my stomach, my bloody back, still exposed to Xanatos. I whimpered pathetically and began to weakly curl up my body on the dusty floor when I saw his boots come towards me. By the time he stood right in front of me, I had squeezed my eyes shut and every bone, every muscle in my body had curled up from the fear of having to experience any more pain. I bit my bottom lip and winced as I felt his hand on my shoulder, and as I awaited the incoming pain. I was so surprised when I felt a pleasant coolness wash over my back, that I jumped slightly. I could then feel a soft cloth wipe away the blood, and I frowned slightly, wanting to know why he had this sudden change of heart.

"That was only a soft punishment," he spoke in a much more tender manner, making me squirm uncomfortably, "I only did this to show you what I am capable of doing if you disobey me." His hand now started to stroke severed my back.

"Disobey me once more, and I will have no choice but to deliver the appropriate punishment." He, again, spoke using his sweet tone. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what the appropriate punishment was, but once more I decided not to ask in case he had the brilliant idea of giving a demonstration.

"So," he spoke softly in my ear, "are you ready to do as you are told?" My brain refused to understand what came out of my mouth next.

"Yes…master." I replied weakly, not wanting to provoke him at all.

"Good," his voice displaying his satisfaction, "now put this on." He threw in front of me a brown dress and stood up.

"I will be waiting for you in the other room." He said, just as he was about to leave. He then closed the door behind him, leaving me alone to get changed. I burst into tears, not being able to believe what had actually happened. _Calm down, Patterson, you aren't going to solve anything by doing that. _I chided myself. _Just do as he says for a while. An opportunity to escape will present itself. Just have some faith._ With that, I gingerly slipped off my torn shirt and my jeans, and slipped on the simple (but still horrible, to me) brown dress. I absolutely hated it, as it clung to me like a second skin, and showed too much skin for my liking. I sniffled and wiped away the tears, preparing myself to face Xanatos again. When I closed the sliding door behind me, I did not see him anywhere. I wondered around the spacious room for a while, searching for him. I finally found him lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, his hands behind his head. When he heard me come in, he sat up on his elbows and looked at me, his eyes analysing me closely. I suddenly became nervous and started to adjust the dress to try and make it fit looser.

"Stop," his voice softly commanded, and I immediately did as he told, my entire body freezing at his command. He smiled at my reaction, and rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed. He gestured to a place near him, and I complied, sitting next to him, placing shaking hands on my lap, hoping that I could sit still in order to not provoke him again. He captured my trembling hands in one of his own, making me look at him.

"Are you cold?" He asked gently.

"No…sir" I replied, my voice barely whispered.

"You're frightened then." This was more of a question than a statement. I did not answer, and instead looked away. He reached out, touching my hair before tucking it behind my ear. Using only one finger under my chin, he made me look up at him. He came closer and I resisted the strong urge to look away.

"I won't hurt you," he spoke whilst staring at my eyes, "I will not punish you unfairly." He leaned closer and I squeezed my eyes shut, not really knowing what to expect. I felt him kiss my neck and I automatically tried to squirm away. As a response, he gently pressed forwards, pushing me into the soft mattress. I whimpered quietly and tried to push him away, wanting him to stop. He did not relent, instead leaning further forwards and kissing my lips to silence my quiet protests. Just then, I had had enough and sat up, my hands on his chest firmly pushed my way from me. He sat up on his knees; his eyes enlarged slightly, the only giveaway that he was surprised by this act of defiance from me. I immediately resumed to a more submissive objection to what he was doing, before he had a chance to lean forth again.

"No, master, please," I pleaded softly, "anything but this." He cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," I said, and gently slipped out of bed. Before I knew it, I was down on the ground, at Xanatos's feet, and completely at his mercy.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

I whimpered and culched my stomach as Xanatos repeatedly kicked me like a stray dog.

"You forget yourself, girl!" He snarled angrily before stopping. For a few seconds, he did nothing, and I did not dare to move. He then grabbed my shoulders, lifting me up easily, and threw me back on the bed. I fell on my stomach with a loud moan; I squeezed my eyes shut as I faced the opposite direction from him. I bit my bottom lip as I felt him make his way towards me, his knees sinking heavily into the mattress as he advanced. He halted when he was kneeling right next to my back, one of his hands moved to gently rub my sick stomach, soothing away the pain and I cringed in fear.

"Now then," he whispered with a sweet voice, "What was it that we agreed you would do?"

"I will submit to you," I swiftly answered, frightened that if I did not, he would hurt me again.

"That's right," he went on, "And what did I say I would do to you if you were to disobey me?"

"You would punish me, master." I whimpered uncomfortably. _You stupid, stupid girl,_ my mind roared at me, _so is this what you do when a difficult situation presents itself? You give in? You're pathetic, that's what you are! No wonder mum and dad called you a disgrace!!_ And it was in that very instant that my mind was invaded by memories of the fight I had with my parents, which caused me to run away.

_No daughter of mine would do such a thing! _

_How dare you disgrace our family honour?! _

_Do you not care about us? _

_You ungrateful child! _

_Have you no respect for the sacrifices we had to bear for you?!?! _

_You're not my daughter, you're a disgrace! _

_GO TO HELL!!!_ I had screamed at them to the top of my lungs before running away. I buried my face into the pillow beneath me, the tears welling up at those memories. _My god, what have I done?! I told my parents to go to hell, I called my dad a bastard, I made my mum cry. Patterson, how could you be such an idiot?! _A small sob escaped my throat, and I was oblivious to the fact that Xanatos lying next to me, his hand gently smoothing out my hair.

"Ah, interesting," His voice startled me, and my face turned towards him, the shock plainly conveyed to my face, "Very interesting." I gasped as I realised what he meant and swiftly tried to get away, yet he gripped my wrists and forcefully pulled me in closer, another one of his smiles displayed on his face. _You so did not read my thoughts just then,_ I thoughts, my eyes narrowing. He laughed. _I so just did,_ I heard his voice speak inside of my head, and I gasped in horror for a second time.

"No," I whispered in shock, as I looked away from him. I gingerly tried to escape his forceful grip, and when he realised this, he swiftly locked one arm around my waist, and another around my shoulders, pulling me in tightly against him.

"Ssh, go to sleep," his sweet voice rang in my ears, "It is late and you need to rest." I whimpered and tried to break free from his dangerous embrace.

"Ssh," He repeated, and I felt my mind being pushed down into sleep. I tried to fight it, but his power overwhelmed me as I slowly slipped into a dream less sleep in my enemy's arms.

* * *

I did not sleep much before I woke up, Xanatos's arms capturing me against him. I closed my eyes and felt him breathe slowly, the only give away that he was sound asleep. I gently eased my way away from him and slipped out of the bed. This was the perfect opportunity to run away, yet I did not get very far when ran into an invisible barrier, which I soon realised ran around the area near the bed, preventing any form of escape. I turned around, half expecting to find an awoken Xanatos looking at me, yet to my total astonishment, he was still asleep. _Bash him! _My mind commanded, _beat the living daylight out of him! NOW! _But I refused to move. _What if he wakes up?_ I hesitated, _He's definitely stronger then I am and if he catches me, I'm dead. _I circled the bed slowly, considering my options. I finally gave up after hours, I crawled back into bed, setting myself down on the side facing away from Xanatos, as far away as I could from him. I looked ahead and saw that there was a large window, which gave a view of the beautiful scenery of the outside. With a soft sigh, I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to drift away to places where I was happy and free.

* * *

I woke up again, this time the light from outside gently rousing me from sleep. I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling the sun's warm rays gently stroke my face. I almost jumped when I felt Xanatos stir sleepily behind me, and I then realised that sometime in the night, he must have turned around and now one of his arms snaked around my waist, and his face was nuzzled against my neck. My eyes shifted to look outside the large window and I sighed happily and admired the beautiful view. _If only I could go for a stroll to better see that breathtaking scenery…_ But a sharp pain in my stomach reminded me of what Xanatos was capable of if I provoked him, so I kept my mouth firmly shut. 

"Yes, that is an excellent idea," I head Xanatos respond to my thoughts, his voice still coarse from sleep. I felt him come away from me, and I turned over to face him. He smiled at my shocked expression.

"Neeyah will accompany you," As he spoke, he snapped his fingers and a tall male Utapaun entered the main door. I stood up carefully and approached the Utapaun with caution.

"Oh, and while you're at it," Xanatos spoke once more, those eyes of his still carefully surveying me, "Get me something to eat." And with that, he closed his eyes and threw his hands above his head, that hateful smile playing across his lips.

I followed Neeyah into the gardens, which were positioned like a large courtyard, surrounded by several imposing quarters, like Xanatos's. It was filled with trees bearing fruit that I had never seen and that I could have never imagined to see. As we walked, Neeyah explained to me that this was indeed a palace that hosted the ruling family. Millions of years ago, these rulers were monarchs, whilst now they were politicians. He explained that the gardens were built in order to provide a tranquil place for the ruler to ponder about anything.

"Then these gardens really do serve their purpose." I responded, smiling. He returned a very sad smile.

"Yes, but now that the Sith have taken over, they wish to eliminate it," He went on, "You may not notice it now, but they are very slowly killing the nature here."

"Oh," I sadly answered to this, not really knowing what to say. He smiled sadly, again, and began to point out fruits for me to take back to Xanatos. I resisted the temptation to take the fruit that was more or less ripe than what it should have been, yet I saw him watching us from the window. I gritted my teeth angrily. _Damn you!_ My mind spat at him, and he smiled. _Shut up, already…he knows what you're thinking!_ I scolded my rebellious mind, and I saw him laugh.

"Bloody hell," I muttered under my breath.

"Sorry, what was that?" Neeyah looked at me inquisitively, and I gave him one of my more mischievous smiles.

"Oh…uh…nothing, don't worry about it," I responded before I returned to my thoughts and to pick fruits for that half-brained twit. _Patterson! Behave yourself!! _I scolded my mind for a second time, unwilling to look in Xanatos's direction. I suddenly remembered the tourture chamber, and by combining what Neeyah had told me it didn't make sense, since he repeatedly told me that Utapau was a serene planet with peaceful rulers that were opposed to any form of violence. I asked him about it.

"That chamber was built many years ago when our last king ruled," he began "Unlike all the other rulers we have had, this was an evil king who enjoyed to torture his slaves endlessly. He had the chamber built. However after the Revolution, that chamber was sealed. The Sith, of course, can to know about it and immediately reopened it." His eyes looked at me sadly, and I realised what Earth would experience if the Sith were able to control it. When I realised that Neeyah and I could potentially be in almost identical situations, I shook my head in dismay. We made our way back, and before going back to Xanatos, he took me to a small kitchen next door to the main entrance. There, Neeyah washed, peeled and cut the fruit, setting it all down on an elegant platter.

"You're his slave too, huh?" I asked him after a long silence. I expected him to be offended at this query, yet his expression was more thoughtful.

"Yes," he finally answered, "But unlike you, I am to stay here. He will most likely want to keep you with him at all times." I swallowed hard and nodded wordlessly.

"Here," he gave me the platter when he was finally done, "he will be pleased. Go now." He showed me the connecting door, and I made my way towards it with the large plate resting on my palms.

"Ok," I acknowledged, "thank you." I rapidly made my way through the connecting door and into the large quarters. Where Xanatos was getting changed. I jumped and very nearly dropped the platter. He stood there, adjusting his pants, his pale chest bare. He regarded my shocked expression with a lifted brow.

"M-master I'm sorry…I-I didn't-" I stammered

"I don't have much time, girl," His voice was strict, "Hurry up and come over here." I silently obeyed, and made my way across the room swiftly, until I stood right in front of him.

"Well go on then," he commanded as he adjusted his black tunic, "Feed me." _WHAT?! _My jaw could have hit the floor easily, but one more of his looks told me to hurry up if I didn't want to get on his bad side. I swiftly picked up a piece of fruit and cautiously brought it up to his lips. He ate the piece in one mouthful, his eyes surveying me as the chewed slowly. I was about to retrieve my hand, when it was inexplicably frozen in place. I watched in horror as Xanatos leaned forth to lick away the juice from my fingers. When my arm was released, I carelessly wiped my hand on my dress, a look of disgust displayed on my face. He smiled whilst he looked at me and licked his lips, and I felt a great urge to throw the platter at him. Suddenly, I heard a familiar beeping sound and Xanatos piked up the strange object (which I had, by now, assumed was a comm. link).

"What?" He spoke hastily into it.

"Xanatos, hurry up!" A voice responded and Xanatos sighed in frustration.

"I'm on my way." He answered, dropping the comm. link carelessly and quickly getting dressed.

"Wait for me here," He instructed sternly, "I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

"Yes…master." I answered submissively.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

Xanatos had been gone for hours now, and I wasn't sure as to what I was to do. On one hand I was desperate to attempt another escape, yet on the other, I was being constantly reminded by the dull ache in my stomach or on my back of what that man was capable of. However, as the minutes ticked by, I was becoming less concerned about what Xanatos would do to me, and more worried about what my future would be. _I can't submit to him forever, _I thought with a certainty that scared me, _I have to escape. I have to break free. It's now or never, Patterson. _And without another thought, I rushed back to the torture chamber to retrieve my jeans. I ripped of the dress with so much satisfaction, and slipped on the rough, blue pants. Then I realised that I had no shirt to put on and I panicked, looking at the torn dress on the floor. I quickly searched the entire building, desperate to find anything to cover myself with. I came across what I summarised to be as Xanatos's closet, yet I refused to wear any of his clothes.

"Looking for something?" A stranger's voice behind me made me jump and scream at the same time. I quickly reached for anything to quickly cover myself, and blew out a relieved breath when I saw Neeyah casually leaning against the doorway of the connecting door between the room and the small kitchen, a playful smirk playing on his lips.

"No, that does not suit you at all." He spoke, gesturing towards what I held in front of me. I quickly glanced down to see that I had grabbed one of Xanatos's robes, and that I was clutching it tightly against me.

"Do you have any other suggestions?" I inquired. He laughed and threw me another plain shirt. I turned around, ditching Xanatos's robe and quickly slipping on the rough brown shirt that was decisively 8 sizes too big for me. It was so big that its supposedly short sleeves covered a bit more than three quarters of my arm. But I didn't mind, I liked wearing lose-fitting clothes.

"Thanks," I acknowledged with a smile.

"You're planning to escape, aren't you?" Neeyah asked, clearly concerned.

"Yeah, why?" I enquired a little defensively, preparing myself to receive any objections as to what I was doing. Surprisingly, he sighed softly and nodded.

"Alright, this is your decision alone to make. I will not stop you," he spoke as he shifted slightly from the door, "but I would advise for you to take the road leading to the civil area. You'll find less droids there." He indicated the way I had to take.

"There will not be many people around since the Sith have rounded up and imprisoned most of my people in the cages near the stables," His look of sadness returned, "The child Lord Xanatos speaks of should be there. It is an excellent hiding place." _Lord Xanatos? Is that man totally over himself or something?_ I thought in disgust as the Utapaun spoke. I quickly nodded at him and made my way out. As I was about to open the kitchen entrance door, when he stopped me.

"There are guards mounted on the entrance door. I will distract them briefly, but you will have to run," he instructed. I nodded again and prepared myself.

"Good luck." He said before disappearing in the other room. I patiently waited until I could hear voices coming from outside of Neeyah speaking to the guards. Carefully and swiftly opening the door, I ran out, my bare feet slapping hard against the dusty floor, and I prayed so hard that none of the guards would hear me. I ran off, following the directions Neeyah had given to me, careful to avoid any passing droids or bodyguards, and finally arrived in an area that was covered with colourful plants and houses. _This must be it!_ I thought excitedly. _Now…where should I hide?_ I tried to decide as to whereabouts I would hide, when I heard someone…or rather, several droids coming.

"Mel!" I heard a hushed whisper behind me, and I turned around startled, "Over here!" Looking more closely, and slowly approaching the area where the voice was coming from, I saw Karis hiding in the shadows of one of the houses. I ran towards her.

"Karis!" I screamed excitedly, momentarily forgetting myself.

"Shh!" She told me off, "Hurry up before they discover us!" She grabbed my shirtsleeve and pulled me into, what I summarised to be the rear entry to the house. Once inside, she led me to a small opening near one of the windows.

"Get in, quick!" She ordered as she tried pulling me to my knees. I obliged, crawling into the small opening and waiting for her to come inside before she closed the opening. She then rapidly moved in front of me and led me through the awkwardly familiar tunnel. I suddenly remembered when I tried to escape the day before.

"Hey, I've been here before." I told her.

"No, silly, you went the other way." She explained, "This is a whole series of tunnels that run around the whole planet. Its really easy to get lost so follow me."

"How did you know I went the other way?" I questioned.

"We saw you, but we couldn't warn you about anything." She replied, "You had a tracking droid coming after you." _What?! _I was suddenly confused by this. _Why didn't they just send more normal droids?? _

"Xanatos wanted you to escape." A voice from somewhere around me explained. We had reached a dark chamber, and I couldn't see a thing until the voice's owner turned on a strange looking lamp. I frowned at the Utapaun who had taken Karis safely away.

"Why would he do that?" I asked him.

"Do I look like I know the answer?" He responded with a grin and I laughed. "Anyway, I don't think that I have introduced myself yet. My name is Moorook."

"Nice to meet you," I nodded curtly, "My name is Mel." He grinned again.

"I know," he replied and I frowned. "We were there when Xanatos caught you yesterday."

"Really? How embarrassing!" I retorted with a laugh, yet a shiver ran down my spine at the memory.

"Speaking of what happened, are you alright?" Moorook asked kindly.

"Yes, I'm fine." I responded politely, yet the pain in my back told a very different story.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Karis demanded, her voice containing some anger.

"No, sweety, he didn't." I replied, smiling down at her.

"She's been awfully worried about you." Moorook told me, and I laughed. Yet before I could answer to this, I heard a child crying in the distance. _What…? _I carefully made my way towards the source, when Karis grabbed my arm.

"Don't go, it's dangerous!" she whispered urgently. I shrugged her off.

"Karis!" I told her off, "Someone could be in danger!"

"No! I won't let them take you again!" this time she grabbed at my leg, making it much harder for me to move.

"Karis…" I began and looked down at the girl gripping at me firmly.

"She's right," the Utapaun chimed it, "it's very dangerous. You shouldn't go." I rolled my eyes when I realised that what they were saying was right. It's what I do when people try to keep me down to Earth…well…down to Utapau in this case. I sighed in frustration.

"Alright, alright, I won't do anything," I gave up, "I just want to take a look." I cautiously approached the opening.

"Be quiet!!" Grievous's recognisable voice roared, but the kid would not relent. When I could finally peer out of a grate to look onto the scene. I saw a small child crying at Grievous's feet, as the monster watched in frustration. To my relief, he turned away.

"Lock him up." He commanded to one of the many droids standing around. It did as it was told, and threw the sobbing child into a cell. I then noticed that the whole area was covered with multiple cells of varying sizes, which contained many Utapauns. I realised that this was the area near the stables that Neeyah had indicated, where most of his people were imprisoned. I had to do something. I refused to just sit there and watch as these people suffered. As if reading my thoughts, Karis grabbed me by the shirtsleeve.

"Don't do it," she stated, "I won't let you."

"Karis they need my help," I explained.

"What use will you be when they capture you?" Moorook questioned, his hand gesturing at all the droids standing around. I sighed again in frustration. I hated to admit it, but he was right.

"OK, so we need a distraction." I stated. _Yeah, a really good distraction._ I thought to myself, when suddenly hear what sounded like a crash and a bang. Every single droid in the room ran off in the direction of where the noise came from, and I smiled.

"Excellent." I said, Mr. Burns style. I turned to face Karis and Moorook. "Stay here, I'll go. And keep yourselves hidden." And before either of them had a chance to protest, I swiftly undid the barrier and easily hopped out. I replaced the grate and faced a table full of levers and buttons. _Oh, great, now what do I do?_ I wondered around as to what I had to do, ignoring the suggestions coming from the imprisoned people. _Press the larger button to your right._ A stranger's voice, which sounded awkwardly familiar, spoke in my mind. I didn't have a second thought before I did what it said. Every cage in the room opened, all right, but at the same time, a siren began to shriek. I found myself in a wave of escaping prisoners.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

For the moment, I ran with the crowd.

"To the hideout!" Someone cried out, and everyone went into one direction. The droids looked at what was happening with much confusion as to what they were to do. _If I don't do something quickly, all of these people will be killed._ I thought as I saw one of the droids reach for its gun. I eventually decided to use myself as bait. I started to run in the opposite direction of the crowd, praying that the droids would follow, when I felt an energetic tug on my jeans. I looked down and to my horror, Karis was standing there, clutching at my leg. I looked around.

"Where's Moorook?" I demanded, shouting on top of the many screams erupting around us.

"He was behind me a moment ago…" Karis threw a look behind her, and my eyes grew wide when I saw the droids begin to shoot at the roof, frightening the mass even more. I was afraid that they would begin shooting at the people. I had to act fast.

"Karis, go with them. You'll be safe then." I ordered.

"But…" She began, her large green eyes looked up at me in shock. She didn't have time to say anything else before I leapt out of the moving group and ran in the opposite direction.

"Hey you! Stop!!" One of the droids called out to me. _Good._

"Make me!!" I yelled back, and kept pounding my feet on the ground. I felt them hot on my heels.

"Mel!!" The scream chilled my very core, and I looked back to see Karis desperately trying to keep up, the droids advancing at a frightening rate. I quickly rushed back to scoop her up, and kept on running, the adrenalin pumping in my veins. I suddenly halted when I found Xanatos blocking my path. I stared at him and he stared right back, a pleased smile playing across his lips. I then saw Dooku approach us to my left, and Grievous to my right. I slowly turned around to make a run for it, when Vader and Maul blocked my path. We were trapped. I muttered a few swear words as I turned around again to face Xanatos. He laughed.

"I knew this would happen," he started "Neeyah did an excellent job." I gasped as he revealed this information to me. He outstretched an arm.

"Hand the girl over," he demanded menacingly. Karis whimpered and buried herself deeper into my embrace.

"No, I don't think so." I retorted, putting a protective arm around her.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt," he growled, "now hand her over."

"Oh, fancy that, same here," I retorted, matching his coolness, "So no." He suddenly made a gesture with his arm and I was thrown to the ground, on my back, much to the amusement of the other Sith Lords. I shook the dizziness in my head, and leapt up to my feet when I saw Xanatos make his way towards us menacingly. I stood in front of Karis, protecting her.

"If you lay as much of a finger on her, I'll-" I growled menacingly.

"Yes?" He interrupted, "What will you do?" His smile told me that he was becoming highly amused by my reaction.

"She may not do anything to you," A stranger's voice spoke and suddenly a man I did not recognise leapt from above and landed in front of me, "But I most certainly will."

"Ah, Master Qui-Gon…what an unexpected and unpleasant surprise." Xanatos spat. I gasped in shock. _Qui-Gon as in Qui-Gon Jinn? What…what…what????_ I couldn't believe it. We were safe! _Whoa, hold your horses, Patterson,_ that little voice spoke inside of my head, _this is completely different from George Lucas's Star Wars…how do you know that the Jedi are actually good? As far as you know, they could be evil as well._ I sighed in frustration. _You're right, little voice inside my head. But I have to have to some faith, right? _I told it back, when a second man dropped from above and landed right next to Qui-Gon.

"And Master Kenobi, of course, how could I forget." Xanatos taunted aggressively, drawing out his other lightsaber. The other Sith Lords copying him. I gasped with delight when he said 'Master Kenobi', whilst remaining very confused as to what was going on exactly.

"I believe you are outnumbered. So I suggest that you hand over the two girls behind you before anyone gets hurt." Xanatos offered, and feeling that it was necessary to give a demonstration, he threw me back on the ground with the Force, this time on my bruised stomach. I groaned in pain, something I did not want to do. The two Jedi turned to look at me briefly and I met their gazes. There, standing in front of me was the Obi-Wan Kenobi from Episode II and a much younger-looking Qui-Gon Jinn. I gave them a small, reassuring smile to let them know I was OK, and gingerly sat up as Karis tried to squirm her way into my embrace. The two Jedi turned around. _Wait a second…what if they're not Jedi…what if they're called something else, and they too want to take over Earth. _That annoying little voice interrupted my thoughts. _Oh, shut up!_ I scolded it, _Anyway, have you ever seen a bad guy that is THAT hot?? _I had to admit it: I didn't really think either of these characters was attractive, but the guys in real life were actually kinda cute. Oh, and by the way, I blocked all these thoughts from both the Sith and the Jedi, not wanting anyone to invade my privacy.

"You have gone too far, Xanatos," Obi-Wan stated, "This has to stop now." Xanatos cackled at this.

"And who will stop us?" He questioned, "You?" As they spoke, I casually took a glance behind my back, and to my horror, Darth Maul was making his way slowly towards us. Qui-Gon appeared to have sensed this as well, and quickly leapt over us to face Maul.

"Not so fast," he remarked, his lightsaber held high.

"Stupid Jedi!" Maul growled and jumped forth to attack. Then a third man jumped right in front of me, standing between me and Darth Vader.

"Sorry we're late, Master," the third man spoke as three more men jumped down to face the remainder of the Sith Lords, "Our ship broke down."

"A helping hand is always appreciated, Padawan," Qui-Gon replied, "Even if it is late." I looked around and saw that everyone had at least one lightsaber (in case you don't remember, Grievous has FOUR lightsabers, hence he got to face two Jedi) at hand, and that the Jedi stood between us and the Sith Lords, protecting us. I felt Karis squirm uncomfortably, and I glanced down to look at her frightened face. I gave her a reassuring smile.

"See? I told you everything was going to be fine," I whispered to her quietly, and she relaxed, smiling up at me. Then, the taunting began.

"We meet again, young Skywalker," Vader sneered at the young man in front of me, who I presumed was Anakin Skywalker. This got me really confused. _How does that work? _I wondered with a tilted head. _Some people have split personality disorder._ The little voice replied to this, and I fought the urge to laugh out loud.

"Yes," Anakin replied, "And this time I'll do more than just cut your limbs off."

"I hope you have recovered from our last encounter, Master Jinn." Maul scowled.

"Of course," Qui-Gon replied calmly, "I wouldn't want you to escape again."

"The girl is mine, Kenobi," Xanatos spat behind me, "There is nothing you can do about that." I heard Obi-Wan scoff.

"I wasn't aware that she belonged to anyone." He taunted, and I turned around to see Xanatos's face display his fury.

"This ends now, Jedi." He growled and lunged at him. Before I knew it, they were all locked into mortal combat. I quickly got to my feet and desperately searched for a place to run to. Suddenly, Obi-Wan's back ran into me and he put a hand behind my back, pushing me out of the circle.

"Go!" He ordered, and I quickly complied, running has hard I could to get away.

"No!" I heard Xanatos holler behind me, but I did not relent.

"He's coming!" Karis screamed in my arms, and I ran even faster until I reached a deserted area, where I stopped.

"I think we lost him." I informed the girl in my arms, and we both blew out a relieved breath at the same time. We laughed.

"That was close, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah." She replied happily. Suddenly, Xanatos jumped out of nowhere and landed a few meters from us, lightsaber drawn, his face hard and angry. Obi-Wan followed, standing between us and Xanatos, his stance relaxed and defensive.

"Go!" Obi-Wan repeated, "Get out of here." I began to back off, when I noticed several droids blacking my way, trapping us there.

"No, Kenobi. She will stay," Xanatos taunted, "And she will watch you die." He lunged and the Jedi, and they were both once again locked in combat. For the moment, I allowed myself to watch in amazement, as they fought each other. It was nothing like I had ever seen, their movements were strong yet gentle, in a way, it was completely different to what I had seen at the movies, and so much better to watch too! I then heard as much as felt the shooting beginning behind us. I turned around to see that an army of Storm Troopers had arrived, and was now attacking the mass of droids. I looked at the two men possessing lightsabers and saw that Obi-Wan was grinning widely at Xanatos's fury. I knew that we had to hide and protect ourselves from the blasts, and I saw a glimpse of what looked like a small cave created by a large rock leaning against the wall. I quickly rushed towards in, and managed to squeeze myself in, whilst still cradling Karis against me carefully. I settled myself in, tightly holding a squirming Karis against me, as I faced to watch the two men battled each other in the middle of the blaster fire.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan was hit badly on his left shin. Xanatos grinned widely as the Jedi fell to the floor, clutching hi knee. I watched helplessly has Xanatos brought his lightsaber to the other man's neck. I had to do something quickly. I swiftly deposited Karis at my feet and eased myself out of our hiding place.

"Xanatos, wait!" I cried out before he could deliver the killing blow. He looked at me, astounded. "It's me that you want. Come for me instead." I really hated having to use myself as bait, but I had to do it in order to give the Jedi at his feet a chance to recover briefly. Xanatos suddenly began to make his way towards me.

"I will deal with you, girl, once I have killed this man." Xanatos spat, making a gesture with his hand that caused me to stand frozen in place, "But in the meantime, you will watch this." I watched in horror as Xanatos made his way back to Obi-Wan, who was still clutching his leg, and in no shape to battle against the Sith Lord.

Abruptly, Qui-Gon jumped out of nowhere, readily attacking Xanatos with his blade. The Sith Lord ran off, suddenly, not expecting this attack, the Jedi quickly chasing him, and just like that, I was released. I fell to my knees, and remained there for a few moments in order to regain my energy. Karis rushed towards me, trying to help me up. I looked around and suddenly noticed that the blasts around us had ceased soon after I had come out of our hiding place. The area we were in had been cleared of droids. I shifted to look at the injured Jedi, a few meters away from us.

"Come on, Karis," I urged the little girl beside me, "He's hurt." We rushed towards him, and I kneeled besides him, trying to inspect the wound. With one hand on his ankle, I tried to pry off his hand clutching his shin, but I couldn't. I looked at his face and saw that his eyes were squeezed shut and that he was gritting his teeth in pain. Karis suddenly rushed off and retrieved the man's lightsaber, bringing it back and putting it into the Jedi's free hand hoping it would do some good. I kept looking at the man's face.

"You have to let go," I told him, "I want to see how badly you've been hurt." OK, for starters I'm not a doctor…just so you know I did a full on first aid course and believed that I could help this Jedi in some way. I managed to wipe away his clutching hand and saw that the wound was almost exactly like a burn. A very nasty burn. We needed water or ice, but the water hole was on the bottom floor and we were on the tenth floor maybe. What were we going to do? I couldn't leave this man alone and at the same time, I couldn't let Karis go and fetch for water on her own. It was far too dangerous. I finalised that we jus had to wait for help to come along. I gently put my hand on the burn, hoping that it would soothe the pain a little. He cringed.

"Don't worry, help is on its way," I tried to reassure him, and this seemed to calm him down a lot. He was so calm now that his jaw was slack and his eyes were beginning to open. It seemed as though he was being cured, in a way. I quickly switched my view to his shin, and I removed my hand from his would to see that the burn had almost cured itself. I looked at my hand in shock. _What it the…?_

"Thank you." Obi-Wan said slowly, interrupting my thoughts, "How did you do that? I have been almost cured." I opened my mouth to reply, but decided that it was better to change subject instead.

"Umm…why don't I help you to get up? You must have a ship around here somewhere." I remarked, oblivious to the fact that Karis was staring at me wide eyed. I put a finger to my lips to silence any remarks of what I had done. She nodded slightly.

"Yes, alright then," he agreed with me, "I'm sure that I will be able to stand alone, thank you." He slowly got himself to his feet, but almost fell back to the ground, when he attempted to walk, had I not caught him by the shoulder.

"Here," I offered, as I slipped his left arm onto my shoulders and put my arm around his waist, to aid him. He looked down at me and grinned.

"Thanks," He remarked as we made our way back to his ship. When the three of us arrived, I saw several Storm Trooper ships on a landing pad, and the entire group of Jedi waiting near one of these ships. As we slowly approached the group, Qui-Gon saw us coming and grinned widely.

"Looks like the rescuer was the one needing rescue, after all." He remarked, eyeing Obi-Wan's injury, and we all laughed.

The END

* * *

**_I hope you all enjoyed this story!_**

**_I will uptade soon by publishing the sequel to this story...so never fear: all shall be revealed soooooon!_**

**_Luv always, _**

**_breakaway07_**


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